18 Gallon Brewing System

[nicklawmusic]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1442555516.385819.jpg

I've managed to negotiate a deal with a local brewery to regularly use their 18 gallon pilot brewery in order to develop my own brewery and brand.

However, they haven't used it much and getting info about the finer details of the kit is proving difficult.

I know the HLT and copper hold 20G of water and the mash tun has a volume of 10G. One of their newer brewers said that he thinks the mash tun is too small (and he had to mash twice, but that sounds like he had a stuck sparge on both occasions).

I'll be going to investigate the kit on Monday but in the meantime:

A) Any ideas based on the above figures what kind of batch size I should expect for a 5% beer?

B) Is he right? Is the mash tun too small?

C) Anyone with any experience of a kit that looks like this - can you give me any BeerSmith numbers so I can plan my beers?

D) How would I avoid a stuck sparge?

Thanks,
Nick

 

[iijakii]

So you're going to try and go pro but don't have the $20 for beersmith or any idea on grain sizes?

 

[cannman]

You've brewed beer before, right? Honest question. What's your experience level?

 

[nicklawmusic]

Yes, I have brewed beer before and I am already brewing commercially from home and my beer is getting great feedback and selling well. Admittedly, I'm batch sparking at the moment from home due to limited space, but I know the theory about fly sparking and have seen it for myself it in large commercial breweries.

And yes, I already own BeerSmith where I've figured out some of the math for this system.

It's the brewer at the said brewery who has done a couple of test batches and reckons the mash tun is too small and has had to do two mashes! He seems to think the man tun is too small, but I think it's the right size.

I wanted a second opinion judging from the figures I have and what you see in the photo because I don't understand why it would be unless he was trying a massive beer!

 

[yeahfairly]

Try this!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=123585

 

[wilserbrewer]

A 10g MT does seem undersized for a 20 gallon kettle and 20 gallon HLT. Perhaps you could reconfigure to a 20g MT, and a 10g HLT.

Mash in thin w high water to grain so as to accommodate the small HLT.

Just an idea...

 

[Dynachrome]

I have a friend who mashes for high gravity wort first, then ads water to get the correct O.G. for a 5% beer.

 

[CUrchin]

Brewing commercially from home? How's that work (or even legal)?

 

[Stillraining]

A 10 gallon Mash tun is WAY to small for 18 gallon batches ...I almost max out mine at times doing 5.5 gallon batches.

 

[aprichman]

As a general rule I like my MLT about 1.5 times the size of my batch. For an 18 gallon system your MLT ought to be around 25 gallons.